Iran sentences French academic to six years in prison, lawyer says

The 60-year-old anthropologist intends to launch an appeal

French-Iranian academic Fariba Adelkhah. Sciences Po / AFP

Iran sentenced a French-Iranian academic to six years in prison on national security charges on Saturday, her lawyer said.

Fariba Adelkhah was "sentenced to five years for gathering and conspiring against national security, and one year for propaganda against the Islamic republic," Said Dehghan said.

He said his client would only be expected to serve the longer, five-year jail term and that she intended to appeal against the verdict.

There was no immediate French reaction to the verdict.

Iran dropped spying charges against Adelkhah but she remained in jail on other security-related charges, Dehghan said in March.

Iran has rejected France's call to release Adelkhah, a 60-year-old anthropologist who has been detained since June 2019, saying the demand is an interference in Tehran's internal affairs.

Tehran does not recognise dual nationality.

In March, Iran released Adelkhah's partner, French academic Roland Marchal, who was imprisoned in Iran since June last year.

Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards have arrested dozens of dual nationals over recent years, mostly on espionage charges.